Woman sentenced for fraudulently obtaining drugs from hospital

CHIPPEWA FALLS — An Altoona woman who used a false name to obtain more than $18,000 worth of prescription drugs from HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chippewa Falls has been placed on probation for 30 months.

Molly B. Tiry, 39, 1628 Hayden Ave., pleaded guilty Friday in Chippewa County Court to theft. Fourteen other charges, ranging from obtaining a prescription drug through fraud, possession of narcotic drugs and bail jumping, were read in and dismissed.

Judge Steve Cray ordered Tiry to serve 60 days in jail but stayed that order, giving that option to her probation agent. Cray ordered Tiry to pay $16,549 in restitution, and prohibited her from consuming alcohol and drugs, or entering taverns.

According to the criminal complaint:

A Chippewa Falls police officer met with the privacy manager for HSHS St. Joseph’s and HSHS Sacred Heart hospitals on May 4. The privacy manager informed the officer that Tiry had entered the two hospitals, used false names and obtained oxycodone and hydrocodone, both prescription drugs. When the hospital sent bills to the woman, they learned the submitted name was false. The hospitals submitted a claim that they suffered a loss of nearly $18,384.

Tiry obtained drugs in October 2016, using the name “Molly Wagner,” then again in March and April using the name “Molly Thomas.”

When the officer interviewed Tiry, she admitted she had given the Molly Thomas name, at first claiming it was because she was going through a divorce, but she later admitted she wanted to obtain the prescription pain medications.